A tribute to IDNForums as it sinks like the Titanic

[domain_trader]

It does look like IDNForums is starting to keel over unfortunately. With the captain (Olney) having abandoned ship, it is now on a slide into oblivion.

Several have already left for DNlocal. My new forum at www.IDNtraders.com is now fully functional as an alternative forum for IDN trading and discussion.

At IDNtraders I am keen to promote a friendly and supportive forum that is less intimidating, particularly for IDN newbies. I'm also trying to encourage more knowledge-sharing between the old-hands. Anyone who can translate in native languages is particularly encouraged to come along to the forum. While English will be spoken by most, there will be no restrictions on conversing in your native language. As far as I'm concerned, the more native IDNers that come along to the forum the better. Perhaps they will even buy our domains!

If this is indeed the end of IDNForums, then I'd like to pay tribute to the key role it has played in getting people like myself interested in and knowledgeable of IDNs. I do honestly think that many of us here will in the coming years benefit immensely from our IDN investments, and this forum has played no small part in helping us put together our portfolios. Olney, with the invaluable support of Seamo, has done a fantastic job to make this forum what it is. Well done gentlemen!

[jacksonm]

Seems to me like it's still functioning. There have been between 10-15 members online most of the day.

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[domain_trader]

Seems to me like it's still functioning. There have been between 10-15 members online most of the day.

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I think watching Markits and Makeits dispute over their names with no hope of an Administrator intervening has led me to see the light.

[mdw]

Seems to me like it's still functioning. There have been between 10-15 members online most of the day.
I think a good way to gauge the survival potential is to call the hosting company and ask when the hosting account will be suspended if no payments are received. I don't know what your personal policy is, but I suspend accounts only after a couple months go by. If it's someone I know, I get them on the phone before pulling the plug.

Fact is, the hosting account has kept going. Either someone is paying, or someone at the hosting company knows Craig, or it was prepaid for a year, or they are very slow to close insolvent accounts. They may even allow us to prepay the account for some time.

A phone call would also be a great excuse to try to lobby someone to backup the database and keep it handy, just in case. Never assume the hosting company has a recent backup of anything - I've been burned many times by this.

[jacksonm]

Fact is, the hosting account has kept going. Either someone is paying, or someone at the hosting company knows Craig,

Someone is paying and someone is also watching. That someone should log on and appoint some new moderators.

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[Giant]

I think a good way to gauge the survival potential is to call the hosting company and ask when the hosting account will be suspended if no payments are received. I don't know what your personal policy is, but I suspend accounts only after a couple months go by. If it's someone I know, I get them on the phone before pulling the plug.

Fact is, the hosting account has kept going. Either someone is paying, or someone at the hosting company knows Craig, or it was prepaid for a year, or they are very slow to close insolvent accounts. They may even allow us to prepay the account for some time.

A phone call would also be a great excuse to try to lobby someone to backup the database and keep it handy, just in case. Never assume the hosting company has a recent backup of anything - I've been burned many times by this.

Good suggestion. I hope the database has already been backed up by now.

Contrary to what I thought a few days ago, I don't think this forum will sink, at least the members of this forum will not let it happen. Once we know exactly what happened to Craig, we will know what we should do. This forum will not die!

[Drewbert]

It seems to be working perfectly fine, to me.

[jacksonm]

I think watching Markits and Makeits dispute over their names with no hope of an Administrator intervening has led me to see the light.


An absolutely stupid squabble. And you're still here.

Go ahead, become jacksonn and see if I care. My seller reputation will show you who the real slim shady is.

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[bwhhisc]

It does look like IDNForums is starting to keel over unfortunately. With the captain (Olney) having abandoned ship, it is now on a slide into oblivion.
"as it sinks like the Titanic" LOL

You post "title" is inappropriate for another persons forum regardless of your feelings or opinion.

All I can say is that it is a good thing I'm not in charge of the EJECTION button around here.

[alpha]

I think a good way to gauge the survival potential is to call the hosting company and ask when the hosting account will be suspended if no payments are received...

don't bother.

a) they shouldn't and probably won't tell you jack about someone else' s account
b) this forum is hosted on a server that also services other interests Craig has

so bottom line, if it goes down, a lot more than IDNF vanishes.. highly unlikely IMO

[mdw]

don't bother.

a) they shouldn't and probably won't tell you jack about someone else' s account
b) this forum is hosted on a server that also services other interests Craig has

so bottom line, if it goes down, a lot more than IDNF vanishes.. highly unlikely IMO
By phone they may give an answer that you could never get in writing, like "I wouldn't worry about it..."

Someone is paying for this hosting account; maybe the Snows are footing the bill just for the entertainment value?

[jacksonm]

By phone they may give an answer that you could never get in writing, like "I wouldn't worry about it..."

I am telling you now "I wouldn't worry about it...".


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[khurtsiya]

Why people are making those idnforums-going-to-oblivion crappy threads each day?!

This fourm is a great place. And I will be here until it is totally down.

[jacksonm]

Why people are making those idnforums-going-to-oblivion crappy threads each day?!



You wouldn't suspect that they had been prompted, would you?

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[mdw]

You wouldn't suspect that they had been prompted, would you?
No I wouldn't.

Lots of people have lots of reasons for not feeling comfortable here. But for better or for worse, this forum is the single best IDN resource on the Internet IMHO.

[Rubber Duck]

The value is the collective knowledge of the community, not the forum.

My biggest mistake was ploughing my knowledge into a project that was ultimately doomed because the owner of the site lacked the foresight and commitment to take it forward.

Craig's biggest mistake was to see the financial value as being in the forum rather than the domains themselves. In many ways that was no better than those invest in IDNxxx.com rather than xn-xxxx.com. Frankly, he wasted a huge invest opportunity by not having the vision to invest much much more sooner. He ended up with a nice portfolio of dot JP, simply because he allowed Edwin and others to scoop up the Japanese dot coms.

[thegenius1]

The value is the collective knowledge of the community, not the forum.

My biggest mistake was ploughing my knowledge into a project that was ultimately doomed because the owner of the site lacked the foresight and commitment to take it forward.

Craig's biggest mistake was to see the financial value as being in the forum rather than the domains themselves. In many ways that was no better than those invest in IDNxxx.com rather than xn-xxxx.com. Frankly, he wasted a huge invest opportunity by not having the vision to invest much much more sooner. He ended up with a nice portfolio of dot JP, simply because he allowed Edwin and others to scoop up the Japanese dot coms.

He owns Anime.com and Haken.com , i think thats all about 1 person needs.

Also basically everything he has in .jp he holds in .com so im not sure about that .jp comment .

Craig did what alot of developers do , go after a few niches and build a strong portfolio around them.

Granted he should have wiped out all the Prefectures and Cities before posting them as he has stated in the past.

[seamo]

I have had contact with Olney - albeit very limited.

This was a couple of days ago, and I had delayed letting the forum know as I was waiting on some direction from him. He hasn't got back to me yet, so I just want you all to know he is ok.

I seriously doubt he will let the hosting and therefore the forum go under, and as soon as he gets a chance, will be back.

I will continue to mod (as best as I can) until that time.

[Wot]

You wouldn't suspect that they had been prompted, would you?

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Surely not ;)

[Rubber Duck]

So as ever, we have all been treated with total contempt.

FS goes off and abandons his blog for long periods, as does Sahir and Ron Jackson, but they do have the courtesy to let people know.

I have seen how this works over several years now. I was never in any doubt that Olney was safe and well.

I have had contact with Olney - albeit very limited.

This was a couple of days ago, and I had delayed letting the forum know as I was waiting on some direction from him. He hasn't got back to me yet, so I just want you all to know he is ok.

I seriously doubt he will let the hosting and therefore the forum go under, and as soon as he gets a chance, will be back.

I will continue to mod (as best as I can) until that time.

[Drewbert]

Thanks Seamo.

RD, put a sock in it, or go and rant about Craig on YOUR forum.

[Giant]

I have had contact with Olney ...

With his body or his soul?

I guess you can't tell by the electronic signals that you received. The whole thing remains a mystery, a very STUPID mystery!

[seamo]

...The whole thing remains a mystery, a very STUPID mystery!
Unfortunately there is little info I can provide, except that he has been extremely busy with work commitments - probably the busiest time of his life by the sounds of it.

Once he resurfaces, he may will dispel the mystery and let everyone know exactly why he wasn't been able to get here.

[thegenius1]

Unfortunately there is little info I can provide, except that he has been extremely busy with work commitments - probably the busiest time of his life by the sounds of it.

Once he resurfaces, he may will dispel the mystery and let everyone know exactly why he wasn't been able to get here.

Hopefully all is well and he is just filming that movie with Jackie Chan he was telling me about a couple months ago.

[domain_trader]

An absolutely stupid squabble. And you're still here.

Go ahead, become jacksonn and see if I care. My seller reputation will show you who the real slim shady is.

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It's like phishing isn't it? Gee, I'd be interested in seeing the domains they have? A few lawsuits in there I reckon.

Yep, I'm still here. I'll be here to the day this place dies. But you just never know when the lights will go out.

But a bit of positive news from Seamo about the future return of the captain. A glimmer of hope...

[Prodigy]

Finally something we agree upon Joe ;)

This forum was not made the strongest single center of IDN communication by 1 person, it was the result of information, ideas and opinions of every contributing member.

This site will not go down. Craig has always taken a hands off approach to the forum which definitely beats the in-your-face and "my way or the highway" approach that i've seen elsewhere.

My domains and I are sticking here. Granted it might not be the best portfolio out there, i'm sure alot of you will be sticking around till the fat lady sings.

Good suggestion. I hope the database has already been backed up by now.

Contrary to what I thought a few days ago, I don't think this forum will sink, at least the members of this forum will not let it happen. Once we know exactly what happened to Craig, we will know what we should do. This forum will not die!

[Ryu]

As long as Seamo is ok acting as a forum sheriff, there is nothing much to worry about, I believe.

Thank you, Seamo. We really appreciate your effort.

[Wot]

My domains and I are sticking here. Granted it might not be the best portfolio out there, i'm sure alot of you will be sticking around till the fat lady sings.

Me to :)

Well that's at least two of us. ;)

[Wot]

Not quite titanic then.

More Phoenix like. :p

[mdw]

As long as Seamo is ok acting as a forum sheriff, there is nothing much to worry about, I believe.

Thank you, Seamo. We really appreciate your effort.
Well said - this place would be crawling with bots without Seamo. We'd be like the starship enterprise clogged up with tribbles.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2090/2101693824_cce021e8e0.jpg

[jacksonm]

I have had contact with Olney - albeit very limited.

This was a couple of days ago, and I had delayed letting the forum know as I was waiting on some direction from him. He hasn't got back to me yet, so I just want you all to know he is ok.

I seriously doubt he will let the hosting and therefore the forum go under, and as soon as he gets a chance, will be back.

I will continue to mod (as best as I can) until that time.


Seamo, you're doing a great job. We are all grateful towards your commitment.

All the ones who have "jumped ship" seem to keep coming back to see what's going on here :p


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[Giant]

Well said - this place would be crawling with bots without Seamo. We'd be like the starship enterprise clogged up with tribbles.


I think so too, Seamo is a great moderator.

[jacksonm]

With his body or his soul?

I guess you can't tell by the electronic signals that you received. The whole thing remains a mystery, a very STUPID mystery!


Joe, would you please pass some of that stuff over my way? :) Thanks!

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[bwhhisc]

Well said - this place would be crawling with bots without Seamo. We'd be like the starship enterprise clogged up with tribbles.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2090/2101693824_cce021e8e0.jpg
Ah yes, the trouble with tribbles!

[Muhammad Mustafa]

this is a great news to hear seamo, if Olney is OK then everything is ok.
it was anxiety for the person in the first place rather than the forum
go ahead seamo, you are really doing a great job